1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector adapted for use with printed circuit boards and capable of being surface mounted thereon.
2. Prior Art
The known connector of this type for use with the printed circuit boards comprise each an elongate rectangular box as an insulated housing. The latter generally has an upper opened connecting portion for reception of conductive parts or elements leading to the circuit board. Leads integral with contacts held in the housing protrude outwards therefrom so as to be soldered to a circuit pattern printed on the board. Reinforcement metal pieces are fixed in the both sides of said housing are to be soldered to a fixation pattern that is also previously formed on each printed circuit board. Those prior art connectors are grouped into the so-called `top` type and the so-called `side` type. In the former type, a bottom of the housing will rest on the upper face of the printed circuit board so that the connecting portion opens upwards. In the latter type of the connectors, either a front side or a rear side of the housing will lie on said board so as to dispose the connecting portion to face sideways.
If those two types of the connectors are manufactured independently of each other, their insulated housings, their contacts and their reinforcement metals will differ between said types. This will not only raise manufacture cost and but also increase the number of constituent parts, noticeably rendering intricate the stock control of them. Therefore, the present applicant has developed and put into practical use a certain convertible type of connectors having their housings and reinforcement metals compatible with both the types. The contacts in such novel connectors already proposed by the present applicant need only be changed in position of their leads between the types, and relative to bodies of said contacts (see the Specification of Japanese Patent No. 2628002).